22 | MAGAZINE 02
IN SEARCH OF
OPPORTUNITIES
he last three years have been of
intense learning for the industry.
With the reduced activity of oil
and gas and the negative impact
of the ofshore industry, helicop-
ter manufacturers had to review
many of their development plans,
reducing the pace of launches and
reorganizing this sales department
in search of new opportunities.
Leasing companies, some of them
recently created and with purchase
orders still to be delivered by the
manufacturers, suddenly stayed
without demand for their heli-
copters, which lead their business
plans to be reviewed and their
growth plans adapted.
On the other hand, the
commercial pressure that the
ofshore market demand have
caused on manufacturers and
leasing companies ended by
making that they searched op-
portunities in other industries,
previously let on a second
plane. A natural candidate was
the aeromedical rescue and
transport industry.
his way, some manufactur-
ers and leasing companies have
quickly repositioned themselves to
meet this demand, ofering spe-
ciic products and services, with
medium light aircrats, such as
the Airbus H145 or the Leonardo
AW109 Grand. his new market
vision may be clearly perceived in
the fair, with more exhibitors and
more visibility for products and
services addressing these markets.
Without great technological in-
novation, this year the fair’s focus
seemed to be improving what is
already made, providing more
eicient services. he mantra
seemed to be “making more, bet-
ter and cheaper”.
MORE TRUST
Talking with industry leaders,
it is perceived that optimism is
back again. Over the last three or
four years, informal talks were of
conidence, always surrounded by
too much caution. his year the
market is beginning to believe in
a recovery.
he current discourse is that
the market has learned not to be
dependent on only one industry
segment, that the oil and gas sec-
tor, due to its volume of aircrats
and to the number of hours lown
as well, will always represent an
important portion of the sector,
but now the helicopter industry is
a little more balanced.
he development of more
mature inancial mechanisms,
like the helicopter leasing sector,
the “maintenance per hour lown”
services and better understanding
of the risks of each activity have
